Afternoons into night
by srcstctruth
Summary: It's the day before promised day when Ed realizes his time is up.


They stared each other down in anger when it hit him.

This could very well be the last time he ever saw Winry. The last time they argued or yelled at each other ever again.

This could be his last chance showing her what all his yelling and arguing with her over silly nothings really meant.

Suddenly his heart beat faster for an entirely different reason than only minutes before.

He'd faced so many things in his young life other people would have run from screaming, but now, as he was standing in front of her, anger blushing her cheeks and crystal-blue eyes staring him down in stoicism, he felt real fear for the first time in forever.

Fear that if he wouldn't do this now, the opportunity would never return.

Ed knew his feelings were flashing through his eyes right now, letting her see … _everything_.

She drew back, unsure, hands clasped in front of her heart in nervousness.

'Ed?' She breathed.

His gaze remained open, letting her know what he was about to do, giving her a chance to back out as he took a step towards her.

She gasped quietly once his hands settled on her waist. There were still a few centimeters between them, but Ed didn't want to overstep his boundaries here, wanting to wait for her to come to him instead.

His focus never wavered from her face, trying to detect any signs that she didn't want this.

There was a certain wariness in her expression as he gazed down at Winry, though it looked more like she couldn't believe Ed was doing this, like she had been waiting for this for a while now and never imagined it actually happening.

Defiant as he was he wanted to prove her wrong, no matter how furiously his heart tried to beat its way out of Eds' chest.

He leaned down a little, her heat warming his face, his hands tightening around her hips.

'I …'

His breath caught as she angled her face upwards to look at him, their lips brushing on accident.

He forgot what he had wanted to say and pressed his mouth firmly against hers in sudden need to just stop talking, stop thinking and just feeling her.

Their first kiss was innocent. Dry lips pressed against each other, bodies almost touching but not quite.

They drew apart after a few seconds, eyes closed. Ed lay his forehead against hers, their breathes mingling in the small space between them.

Wonder tinted her voice when she spoke.

'I never thought …' She turned her head away a little.

'I always hoped, but I never thought you'd feel the same.'

Ed squeezed his eyes shut once more, swallowing the anger trying to crawl out of him. They could have had this so much sooner if he hadn't been so oblivious. If he hadn't been so damn scared of this.

'I'm sorry.' He sighed, his words rippling over the side of her face. He hadn't moved an inch since they stopped kissing, feeling too whole with Winry in his arms.

She still faced away from him, her hair hiding her eyes from his view.

'Don't. You don't have to be sorry. There was so much going on with you and Al and this Promised Day thing looming over your heads, there wasn't any time to think about something like this.'

He grabbed her chin then, fed up with his own stupidity and forced her to look at him.

'I should have made time, then! I shouldn't have made you feel like you were less important and I'm sorry that I only realized this now that there's no more time to show you, but I will damn well try!'

His Automail arm wound around Winrys' lower back, crushing their bodies together, closer than they've ever been before. His other hand found her cheek, urging her face up to kiss her for a second time.

It wasn't like the first kiss at all. There was no hesitation, no tentativeness.

There was desperation in it, a plea to make her grasp just how vital she was to him, an 'I don't want to go' and everything he was too scared to vocalize.

He walked them backwards until her back hit the door, bringing them that much closer together.

Winry stood on her tiptoes, her arms winding around his neck to kill what little space was left between them. Frames touching from head to toe, kissing like it could be their last one, losing all sense of time and themselves in their intimacy.

This here was home to him. Not Resembool, with its green hills, not this house, filled with childhood-memories.

This. Winrys' lips against his, her hands tearing at him, making him stay where he was, forcing him not to run away from this and be brave.

Eds' throat clogged up. He broke the kiss, an unbearable amount of emotions rushing inside him. His nose skimmed the side of her face and neck, breathing her in without opening his eyes. He didn't want to see the sun setting, didn't want to let her go.

But he knew he had to. Ed had to stop Father if he wanted a Winry to come back to.

Finality sunk into his bones.

He breathed her in for possibly the last time, pressing his nose against her neck, his mouth moving against the sensible skin as he murmured:

'I have to go.'

Winrys' hands wove into his hair, making him kiss her one last time.

She withdrew, his face cradled in her warm palms as she looked at him with those sky-blue eyes.

'Come back to me.'

There was no doubt in Edwards words.

' _I will.'_

And if Edward Elric made a promise, he kept it.

Always.


End file.
